Recapturing Innocence
by Symphonic Crystals
Summary: What if Erza had prevented Jellal's arrest after the Nirvana incident? How would Fairy Tail's story play out then? And would the cost be worth the choices made?
1. Taking A Stand

Hiro Mashima is the genius behind Fairy Tail, not me. However, I am going to try to keep in line with the series as best as I can. I've always hated the fact that Jellal was thrown in prison for something he had been manipulated into doing, with no way to make amends. So this is basically a "what if" type of story. Suppose, just suppose, Erza kept Jellal from going to prison with the Oracion Seis: How would things turn out, and what will the consequences be? Please enjoy, and feel free to provide constructive criticism as we go along, though I'd prefer to read necessary corrections via PMs, rather than the reviews section.

-+FT+-

 _This isn't right,_ was the mantra running through Erza's mind, as she watched the guard escorting Jellal to the carriage. He, along with the Oracion Seis, were being taken to prison for their respective crimes. She was either unaware or uncaring that Natsu was on the verge of throwing a fiery fit, and she had no interest in that Kotobuki oddball's circumstance of nearly wetting himself. Watching her childhood friend being marched away like cattle hurt beyond expression. He was guilty of trying to revive the R-System, and taking Simon's life in the process, of course. But he hadn't truly been in control at the time—he had been honest about that, at least, before Erza realized she had been tricked.

Suddenly, almost as if she could sense an impending fight, she recalled a conversation that she and the others had had with one of the former members of the Magic Council. It was a brief flashback, certainly, but it gave her an idea. _Maybe…_

"He didn't do it."

Everyone, including the guards, turned to look at her. Lahar stared at her in shock, then suspicion. "I beg your pardon?"

"I know for an absolute fact that Jellal had nothing to do with what he is accused of. First, I have it on very reliable authority that Siegrain disappeared shortly before Ultear caused the Council Hall to collapse. From what I know about thought projection magic, it takes a minimum of ten years to master it, but twenty or more for it to reach great distances, such as between the Tower and the Hall. And that is regardless of how powerful a mage's abilities are. So Jellal wouldn't have been able to learn such a skill within seven years, during which he and I had been separated from each other.

"Another problem is that my team and I were at the Tower the day the etherion cannon was fired. I confronted Jellal about Ultear and Siegrain, but he had no brother, and only met Ultear on a couple of occasions. We figured that's how she came up with the 'twin brothers' routine. Once he realized what was happening, he helped Natsu and I to destroy a majority of the Tower. Unfortunately, though, the structure became unstable, and he lost his memory when trying to stop the etherion by fusing himself with it. And today, he attempted to destroy Nirvana and aided these light guilds in defeating the Oracion Seis. If you truly doubt his innocence, at least allow him freedom based on his actions today. I personally will accept responsibility for his actions, should he do anything deliberately harmful."

Erza knew there was a chance the guards would take Jellal anyway, as they were more of a group of control freaks than anything else. But she felt she had to try and stop them, in the least violent way possible. She could tell that Jellal was watching her standing up for him, and was trying to keep his face as blank as his memories were at the moment.

Needless to say, Lahar was still suspicious of Erza's claims, and the look on his face showed it. However, the custody reinforcement unit did not have a valid warrant to arrest Jellal, since the Council believed him dead, and the sole reason they were there at all was for the Oracion Seis. If the coalition of guilds before him found out that he was acting out of his own volition, Lahar knew that they would report him. He would most likely lose his job due to insubordination. The Council might not have agreed with the actions of the guild representatives standing before him, and they certainly were in no way friends of Fairy Tail. However, they had to hand it to most of the light guilds for their integrity. Gritting his teeth for a moment, he gave his order.

"Release him."

"But sir!" One of the soldiers began.

The disgruntled leader snapped back at the man. "Right now! Do you want to get fired?" Lahar was now face to face with an unchained Jellal, who silently stood there. The former man remained stiff as he addressed the other. "If I ever, _ever_ hear you've created trouble, you _and_ whatever guild you're a part of _will_ fall—be sure of that!" After seeing the other's acceptance of his demand, he turned to Erza, and continued. "And as you've asked, you're in charge of him. One misstep on his part, and you'll go to prison as well, as his accomplice." With that, the livid Lahar marched away, taking the custody reinforcement unit with him.

The group gave a collective sigh of relief once the soldiers were out of sight. The first to speak was, of course, Natsu.

"Aw, come on, Erza! Why did you do that? I was going to get a good workout!" He pouted.

Her quiet yet firm response stopped any comment he might have further added to his argument. "Enough, Natsu. What's done is done; let it be. For now, let's get some rest, so we can go home in the morning." Erza felt little guilt, in spite of lying to the soldiers, and just as little fear.

Kotobuki had already made a dash for the woods the second the spell that trapped the group broke, and barely avoided humiliating himself. He now returned in time to hear Erza's declaration. "Indeed you are right, my beautiful Scarlet. The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner we shall smell the wonderful parfum of the dawn rising to greet us—man!"

Erza's eyebrow ticked at the man's obvious statement. She didn't know how much more she could take from him. Thankfully, a yawn from Lucy helped her refocus. "We'll break camp at sunrise and escort Wendy back to Cait Shelter, before heading home. Everyone needs to go to bed as soon as possible and sleep well." It was then that she noticed Jellal leaving their company, as silent as he could. That could only mean one thing, she surmised; he was planning to turn himself in. Not willing to allow him to do so, Erza Scarlet followed Jellal Fernandez away from the campsite.

-+FT+-

The confused mage didn't know where he was heading, only that he needed to collect his thoughts. If he had caused such calamity as Erza had told him, then why did she proclaim his innocence to those soldiers? Jellal found it hard to wrap his mind around all the events of the day, and it was even more difficult to understand what was going on in the beautiful red-haired mage's mind. He had half a mind to run after the guards and turn himself in, as an effort to alleviate some of his guilt. However, the desire to be near Erza overruled that idea. Perhaps she had sought to allow him the freedom to redeem himself. From what little he knew of her, it would be just like Erza to do so. Thinking it over fondly, he chuckled.

He stopped at an overlook not far from the camp and sat down, observing the lovely scene below him. There was someone following him, but it didn't really alarm him. He figured it was most likely Erza. It didn't take long to confirm his suspicions, as she stepped out of the brush he himself had just walked through.

"You lied to them," he stated. There was no anger in his voice, but worry did leak through a little.

The requip mage simply sat down next to him. "I didn't see any real point in letting them take you. Besides, I don't believe in imprisoning someone who was being controlled, especially when they're freed from their captor. There's a time and place for it, but this was neither."

Jellal let a small smile adorn his face. "Thank you, Erza—I owe you a lot."

"You owe me nothing, Jellal; but you're welcome, anyway. I must admit, though, I'm not certain I'll be capable of trusting you again for quite a while." Seeing that he was hurt by this, she continued. "I know that your memories being lost means a clean slate for you, but mine are forever embedded. It hurts so much, because I want to trust you like I did when we were kids. Please allow me time to heal again."

The star-based wizard, though he was still saddened by her statement, nodded in acceptance. "I will, Erza." It was then, when their gazes met, that he had a short flash of memory hit him, stealing his breath away.

" _Hey, why not call you 'Scarlet'?"_

"I remember… _it's the color of your hair._ "

Erza's head jerked up when he said that.

"At least, I remember that much," he clarified.

A couple of tears streaked down her face, knowing her dear friend was beginning to heal.

-+FT+-

The group watched as Wendy's guild faded away before their very eyes, the child pleading with those in the "village" not to leave her. They tried to comfort her afterwards, but it only hurt her more. Jellal watched in silence as Lucy calmly tried to convince Wendy to join Fairy Tail, which was more like a family than a guild to its members. That was when he himself stepped forward. He kneeled down to her level as he addressed the girl.

"You know, you wouldn't be the only one joining. I'm sure Carla would love it, too, and once all three of us get the hang of it, we'll have the most amazing team the guild has ever seen. What do you say?"

Wendy said not a word; launching herself into his arms did all the talking for her, as she cried into his jacket.


	2. Not Quite At A Loss

His memories were slowly returning. Some were positive, such as when, as a kid, he took Erza's hand and promised to walk through the encroaching fight alongside her. Others, on the other hand, were negative, like betraying her with a hug, only to place a spell on her so that she wouldn't move. But he had yet to remember sending her away from the Tower; or Natsu knocking him out cold while shouting, _"Free yourself, Jellal!"_ It was in the time of waiting, watching flashes of the past seeping into his mind, that he wondered if he was really worth the second chance Erza had given him.

Thankfully, this was not one of those times. Jellal watched out of the corner of his eyes as Erza made her way to the starting line. She wore tennis shoes, tank top, and shorts, different from her usual ensemble. The sight was bringing out his possessive side, as there were both contestants and spectators gawking at her. However, he had to put his own…rather errant thoughts away, as he too was racing against her. Donned in his black muscle shirt and cargo pants, which drew ridicule due to the heat, he too joined the crowd of entrants.

As he waited for the race to begin, he thought back to when he came to Magnolia. Master Makarov had welcomed him, Wendy, and Carla into the guild family, along with the rest of Fairy Tail. At first, there was a bit of tension between him and the master, as the elderly gentleman was more than aware of his past actions. However, a few weeks had now passed, and he had earned the trust of most of the guild members, but he was having difficulty getting used to it. The only exception, really, was Erza. Though she had warmed up to him a little more, she was still skittish and unsure about trusting him completely.

Makarov stood on the stage and proceeded with the rules, including the one that prohibited flying (Happy wasn't very, well, happy about it, and Evergreen was ticked off). Jellal held back a snicker as he watched the cat complain, whining that Jet's speed would put people at a disadvantage, too. The master brushed it all aside, as he warned that the consequence for losing would be humiliating, a fate worse than death. Everyone around him shivered, some with the memory of what they had to go through, and others trying to keep a straight face. Something told him that losing this race was the last thing he wanted to do, even if it was against Erza, and he determined that he _would_ come in first place.

-+FT+-

Erza shifted through the pages of the latest Sorcerer Weekly issue, trying to find a particular set of pages. She rarely, if ever, read the magazine herself, so this was an exception. Everyone in the hall was laughing at the pictures in the centerfold section, and she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. In fact, she had completely forgotten last week's endurance race, including the punishment the losers would have to go through. Finally, after getting distracted about four times with the latest in weaponry and armor (not that she really needed any more, merely wanted), she reached the targeted section.

The first page was Gray in a dress that looked like it was straight from mid-1800's London. It wasn't just any dress, however. It was a long sleeve, ruffle-bummed, winter gown, complete with a ladies' hat, umbrella, and fan. All in pink, to boot. _I should have been one of the losers,_ Erza thought, looking longingly at the dress. Of course, had she lost, there was a chance she would have been made to wear men's attire, and she knew that. But she also figured that she would be able to pull it off, easing the humiliation.

Gajeel followed in a giant teddy bear outfit, with a gargantuan red bowtie and clown makeup. He was made to pour a pot of tea for Jet, who wore a purple kimono and a black sash, his matted hair in a bun. Not exactly the most picturesque photograph, but definitely an eye-opener. _Is it just me, or does Jet have too much eyeshadow?_ The idea was extremely creepy, even for Erza, and she had to shake her head vigorously to clear her mind of that image. She tried to take a bite of her strawberry cake as she turned the page, but ended up dropping the piece in her lap. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry with how wrong the next page looked.

There, wearing a bunny suit, fish stockings, and bunny ears, was Natsu. His back was turned to the camera, which showed the attached tail, bent slightly, while he looked over his shoulder. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was running through his mind when one saw his face: _"Please—help me!"_ It would have been added to Erza's collection, as well, had she not seen it on her teammate. Taking a huge gulp of air, the requip mage carefully turned the last page, and barely succeeded in keeping her eyeballs from escaping.

Jellal was there, standing sideways, looking at the camera lacrima with basically the same reaction Natsu had. _What the heck!_ shot through her mind. He had his background arm as relaxed as possible, while the foreground one was extended towards the audience holding a platter with a mug on it. The real shock, however, was that he was in a Gothic-Lolita maid outfit, complete with gloves, leggings, and a lacy headband. And in spite of his tortured demeanor, he could easily pass as a real maid, since he looked absolutely delicious in it!

"Oh my…" she muttered, fanning her face like a fangirl—well, she was, for him, anyway. She had skipped over the others' interviews, but she felt like she really needed to read his.

 _Jason: So, Jellal, is it true you once disguised yourself as a member of the Magic Council?_

 _ **Jellal: Hahaha, I've been asked that before, actually. But no, I didn't.**_

 _If so, then how is it that you look so much like that Siegrain guy? Because it's so cool!_

 _ **I'm not certain if it can be considered "cool" or not. I'm trying to regain my memory, so it's all a bit fuzzy right now. But I have good friends that are helping me get there.**_

 _Tell me your reason for joining Fairy Tail. Is it because of Titania?_

 _ **Not at all. It was actually one of her teammates who solidified my decision. The girl in question was talking with a couple of potential recruits, and I just happened to overhear the discussion. One of them had just lost people she cared for greatly. My past may not be clear to me at this time, nor was it then, but somehow, I knew I could relate to her. I guess when I think about it, Fairy Tail really is more of a family than a guild.**_

 _Thanks for your time, Mr. Fernandez—it's been so cool!_

Erza looked back at Jellal's picture and smiled. _It must have been humiliating to have gone through the photoshoot._

"Not really. I was just terribly embarrassed."

She hadn't realized that she had voiced her thought audibly until then. "J-J-Jellal, what are you doing back so soon? I thought you said you had a personal mission."

He wasn't offended by the inquiry, regarding her fondly. "I did, it just didn't take me long to finish." The man looked around the guild hall, spotting his fellow losers, trying to blend into the scenery and avoid the inevitable teasing that was sure to come at them. "I don't suppose the others will move past it anytime soon?"

"Knowing them, they're most likely planning to beat Jason up, Natsu especially." Erza stood up from her table and stretched briefly. "Well, I'm heading home for the night. The team is going on a mission first thing in the morning. Would you like to come along?"

The question surprised and humbled Jellal. "I'd like that very much," he responded softly.

-+FT+-

The next morning, Lucy, Gray, Natsu (already queasy from the mere idea of a train ride), and Jellal were waiting at Magnolia Station for Erza to show up.

"What's taking Erza so long? She gets on our butts if we're even a second late, but suddenly she has that privilege?" Gray complained, before a panicked Lucy waved her hand to get his attention. "What?"

"You may want to lower the decibels a bit, Gray…"

His face took on the horrified visage that he had had with the photoshoot, as the realization dawned that said "privileged" person was closing in on their group.

"Wow, you look beautiful, Erza! Where did you get that?" Lucy asked with amazement.

Jellal turned to face Erza. Even though he'd already figured out what she was wearing, seeing it on her took his breath away. He wasn't about to tell her that the outfit he had to endure for losing the race, she now wore it beyond perfectly. He had purchased it from the magazine's fashion department and left the ensemble, clean and pristine, with the landlady at Fairy Hills. Before Jellal left the dorms, he asked for her to hand it over to Erza when she got home.

"Oh, just a secret admirer," the woman in question answered with a blush, as they boarded the train. She didn't give it away, but she knew who it was. No matter how well it had been cleaned, she could smell the "culprit's" cologne as it gently rose from the cloth.


	3. Jellal & Jellal!

Erza stood behind Jellal's chair as Master Yajiima scrutinized him harshly.

Master Makarov had invited his old friend to the guild hall for important business. Jellal was the one who requested his presence by name. The old guild master had begged the other man (who was shorter than he was) to remain non-judgmental during his visit, as it was crucial to what he had planned to discuss with him. It turned out to be a revelation, rather than a discussion. At first, the former Council member was shocked to see Jellal in Makarov's office, and even angry. It was extremely tough to keep from jumping to conclusions, but for the sake of their friendship, he chose to acquiesce.

Yajiima kept a suspicious eye on the young man who had destroyed, even taken, lives. He looked grieved over his actions from the outside, and wouldn't look up at the person addressing him. But there was no way the older gentleman's guard was going to fall.

"Are you telling me that you remember _all_ of your crimes, boy?" The inquiry was firm, nearly hostile. He received a nod, though Jellal kept his head bowed.

"Yes, sir." His voice held resignation and exhaustion.

And it was true. Since the endurance race, his memories had begun returning at an even faster clip, both good and bad, even the evil ones. He had spent many nights tossing and turning in his bed, trying to run from the nightmares of his past. It was an impossible feat, of course, and he had no choice but to face his sins. Now, about a week after they had finished returning, Jellal sat across from his guest, awaiting a possible indictment.

"Do you really expect me to believe that you are repentant for them, after all this time?!" Yajiima snapped at him. The person opposite him flinched, then shook his still bowed head.

At this, the requip mage started to protest. "Please don't be so harsh with—"

"It's okay, Erza," came Jellal's gentle rebuke. He then stood, holding eye contact with the other man. The resolve that shown on his face threw his confronter off. "No, sir, I do not. But I am willing to accept the consequences of my actions, even if it means the death sentence."

"No…" The redhead whimpered.

"It's possibly the only way that I can make amends, Erza, and I refuse to allow you to take the fall for me. I know it was the condition for my present freedom, and I will always be grateful to you for that. But if this is what must be done, then so be it. I need you to live…Fairy Tail needs you to live." His countenance held sadness, as he spoke kindly to her.

This was not the same boy who had deceived the Council, and nearly all of the world, Yajiima acknowledged. Nor was he the spoiled brat from back then, who saw everything as a game that he could not lose. The man that stood before him wanted to do what was right, even if it hurt. Not many people were ready to trust him quite yet, due to his resemblance to "Siegrain". Yet the fact was he was willing to do whatever it took to start over. If anything, telling Erza to back down from defending him told the cockeyed, short fellow that Jellal really was repentant. He gave a tired sigh.

"No one is taking the fall for anyone, Jellal," he stated. The startled younger man looked at him. "I'm sure you understand quite well that it might be a very long time before you are deemed trustworthy again. In fact, it may never happen at all." A long pause slipped into his speech. "But so long as you swear to focus on walking the path of light, I will vouch for you personally." As a gesture of acceptance, he reached out his boney hand towards Jellal.

His former enemy carefully grasped the extended appendage. "I promise, Master Yajiima."

-+FT+-

A couple of days after being confronted by Yajiima, Jellal was walking towards the guild hall, a bit more light-hearted. He noticed Wendy conversing with Carla by the gates as he approached; or rather, the sky dragon slayer was correcting her cat friend for being rude to Happy. Unaware of this, he began approaching the duo, only to see another person joining them as well. The other man was dressed strangely, with a series of staffs strapped to his back (save for the one in his hand), and all of his face covered except his eyes.

Sensing that something was about to go extremely wrong, Jellal kept his guard up. As he got closer, the other person revealed his identity. What he, Wendy, and Carla saw shocked the trio to their core.

"Jellal?" The timid, blue-haired girl gaped at the stranger.

"Impossible! Jellal was supposed to be investigating the flux of magic near the center of Magnolia!" The white cat declared.

"Forgive me, Wendy, but I am not Jellal. My name is Mystogan." The double smiled somewhat, as he seemed to understand her confusion.

"But you told me it was 'Jellal'!"

"I didn't want anyone to know who I really am, so I gave you a false name." He frowned, then turned to face the _real_ Jellal. "But we have no time for that. All three of you need to leave Magnolia as fast as you can—the town is in danger."

"What?" Wendy begged.

"Just go, there's—aah!" Mystogan grabbed his chest, then paused to catch his breath. The sky was turning dark, and it looked like a reverse funnel cloud was forming. "No—it's too late!"

"It has something to do with the flux of magic, doesn't it, Mystogan?" Jellal stated.

"Go now!"

"No! We need to warn the others!"

"You don't understand—you must leave!"

"I'm coming with you, Wendy—we're not leaving without them!"

Part of the way towards the gates, Jellal and Wendy saw the scenery begin swirling. Then everything faded to nothing for Jellal.

-+FT+-

When the nothingness cleared up, he found himself standing alone just outside Fairy Tail's gates. He panicked as he looked around for both Mystogan and Wendy, before deciding to check the guild hall. After all, it was possible that they were inside. One brief, but thorough look told him, though, that neither were there.

"So, Jellal," Makarov's hearty voice called, "did you learn anything about why the magic has gone crazy lately?"

The young man couldn't lie. "Not enough to come to a conclusion. It seemed to be due to the bad weather we've been having. At least, I thought so, until Wendy disappeared with Mystogan."

"You've met Mystogan? But why would he and Wendy have vanished into thin air?"

"I'm not certain, Master. All I do know is that one minute, we were talking, then the next, I blanked out. Once I got my bearings again, I was alone." He would have continued, but just then, the doors flew open.

"Everyone, look! Lisanna's back!" MiraJane shouted, tears of joy streaming down her face, tears that reflected also from Elfman and Lisanna. With them were Wendy, Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Carla, and Happy.

Later that evening, as the guild partied, welcoming their long-lost friend and introducing another cat (or Exceed, as it was different, like Happy and Carla) to the fray, the entire story of the adventure in Edolas was told. And retold. And then retold again. Jellal was feeling out of place, so silently, he made his way back outside and into the courtyard, watching the sky as stars began their dance above.

"Too crowded for you too, Jellal?"

The voice that spoke startled him, at first. As he calmed down, however, he smiled. "Honestly? I don't know for sure. It feels like I'd just be in the way if I stayed inside."

Erza rested one hand on his shoulder. "I know how that feels. Everybody is so excited with the celebration—"

"—Yet you feel so alone," he finished for her. They were both silent for a few moments before the conversation continued. "Will this ever go away, Erza?"

The woman squeezed the shoulder briefly, but didn't let go. "I don't know—I still struggle with it, sometimes daily." Feeling her friend tense up, preparing to apologize yet again, she pressed forward. "But I use that struggle to make me stronger. That's what I was talking about that…that day." She didn't need to go any further; he understood the implication: Nirvana.

"Erza?"

Once they made eye contact, she saw the kind eyes and smile of the boy she should have grown up with—no, the man she was once again falling for.

"Thank you."


	4. Your Sins Will Find You Out, Jellal

I decided to rework chapter 4, so it will be more in line with the series' original plotline (don't worry, Jellal is still free). The way this story was going would have been too divergent from the events that did occur, and thus a pain in the (*cough cough*) back pockets to weave together. Please feel free to send constructive criticisms my direction—I'd love to do this as best as possible, and the audience is the best judge for what needs tweaking.

-+FT+-

"The S-Class exam?" Jellal asked Erza, as they walked out of the guild hall towards the town's outdoor market.

"In short, it is a test of one's will, heart, strength, and mind," Erza responded, eyes sparkling with eagerness. "It used to be that only S-Class mages were allowed to complete that level of requests, and the exam itself was instated to choose someone deemed worthy of the title." Then, with a teasing smirk, she continued, "So if you want to catch up to _me_ , Fernandez, you're going to have to step up your game."

"That's a tall order, Miss Scarlet. Consider your challenge accepted." He kept his face immobile, but he too was in a good mood.

A very short-lived good mood.

"JELLAL FERNANDEZ!" Another woman's furious scream cut through their jesting.

As they turned around, a familiar pinkish-orange whip shot at them. Panicked, Jellal shoved Erza away from him and the threat, only to realize too late that he _himself_ was their attackers' target, as the whip wrapped around his torso and limbs! The last thing his left eye took in was a block-shaped bullet and playing card flying his way. Belatedly, he also remembered hearing a sword blade being drawn.

 _~SLASH!~_

"JELLAL!"

-+FT+-

When Jellal woke up, it was to the sound of Porlyusica talking to some people outside somewhere. Opening his eyes (or trying to, since only his right one would work), he noticed that he was in the guild's medical wing, and something soft was tickling his right arm. He gingerly turned his head to look at that particular side, only to be greeted by the sight of Erza's beautiful red tresses. The woman's face showed her exhaustion, as she slept with her head next to his arm on the bed. In spite of what happened, Jellal smiled, trying to move his left arm to place his hand on her face. It didn't budge. Severe pain erupted from his shoulder blade, causing him to cry out.

As if hearing him, the door to his room flew open, permitting Porlyusica to enter, followed by three of his former friends, as well as a woman he personally had never met before. Still, she looked somewhat familiar to him. Stranger still, he felt guilt and sorrow creeping in when he saw her.

"Humph! You are certainly a lucky young man, Mr. Fernandez," the elderly woman stated. "I swear, the stupidity of some humans makes me ill."

"Porlyusica? What happened to me?"

"You were attacked. Erza brought you here, and made it in time. The bullet was easy to extract from the shoulder bone, but your arm is immobilized until further notice. The scratch to your eye, however…" she didn't need to finish to get her point across.

His left eye was gone, permanently.

"Wendy attempted to heal your eye, but her power could only heal the skin around it. Once you're well enough, you'll need to be fitted with an ocular prosthesis, similar to Erza's."

"Well, look on the bright side, you and Er-chan will match now!" A kitty-girl voice piped up, feeling as if he needed to be cheered up.

Jellal regarded the source of the voice. "Millianna?"

"Yep, sure is! Sho and Wally are here, too!" Over her shoulder, the two men looked down at him. Their looks were neither welcoming nor hostile, though Jellal didn't fault any of them for their cautious demeanor.

His one eye began to tear up. "You're all alive—I'm glad…"

"Well, if it wasn't for Erza, you wouldn't be," the unknown woman stated, as she quietly seethed within.

Erza, having been awake since the group had entered, finally sat up and spoke. "Please stop it, Kagura! Enough damage has been done, so creating more will only make things worse."

Porlyusica cleared her throat. "Indeed, and Mr. Fernandez needs his rest, in order to repair his own body. You all get just a few more minutes, then you will leave, no arguments allowed. Is that understood?"

The group of four gulped in unison. "Y-y-yes, ma'am!"

"I need to inform Makarov of Jellal's condition, so when I get back, I expect everyone to have said their farewells. That includes you, Miss Scarlet."

"Understood, and thank you for helping him."

Jellal nodded. "Yes, and thank you, Porlyusica."

Temporarily satisfied, the healer left the room.

For several seconds, no one spoke. Finally, Sho whimpered his question. "Why did you do it, Jellal? I thought we were friends before all that happened."

He had been afraid of this question. However, the stellar mage knew he needed to at least put their minds at ease, even if he never regained their friendships. He reiterated to them what he personally had gone through. Meeting Zeref's ghost, throwing Erza all the way from the tower, their battles, Simon's death, waking up from his coma—every part of it. Jellal noticed the new woman clutched the sword in her grip, tightening it as he spoke. Her eyes grew colder and colder, and as brave as he was, it was beginning to unnerve him. Finally, when he was finished, Kagura spoke, emotionless.

"So all you did was laugh when Simon took the blow?"

"I did, and I'll never be able to apologize enough for taking his life."

Her eyes narrowed as she heard this. "And it will never be enough, not for me. Slaughtering him is inexcusable, Fernandez. I should just kill you and be done with it." All she got was a nod from the man in the bed, acknowledging that she was in the right. "However, if you've really changed, then don't you dare screw up again, because unlike Simon, I hold grudges against those who hurt my loved ones.

"Especially since Simon was my brother."


	5. Second Sight

Just a quick reminder to those of you who haven't seen it yet, I decided to change chapter 4 to make it better (it was too complex as it was). Please read it before continuing through this one, so that things will make better sense for you. Thanks, and as usual, I'm open to constructive criticisms.

-+FT+-

The familiarity in Kagura's face made sense now. The same eyes, similar speaking style, and exact hair color as their late friend. Jellal stayed silent, observing the way Kagura glared at him, and the guilt intensified.

"You get it now, Fernandez? Your life is in my hands, as long as I live. You screw up, you die. Understand?"

He nodded as best as he could. "I would expect no less." He turned to look at the others in the room. "And the same goes for all of you, as well. None of you deserved being mistreated, and I know I can never make things up to you. My life is yours to take."

Wally frowned down at him, his squared jaw immobile while he listened to the other mage. "Nah, that's all Kagura. We're here for Erza's sake. But if you hurt her any more, I promise you the next bullet won't miss!" Millianna and Sho nodded along with his statements.

The face of the boy they knew from childhood was showing once more, as he grinned at them. "I understand. Thank you all, for protecting her, even when I didn't."

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU YOUNG PEOPLE?" Porlyusica's gruff yell scared the daylights out of them. She was standing at the door, arms crossed, making no secret of her displeasure to see the group lollygagging around her patient. "Mr. Fernandez needs to rest, so all of you need to leave immediately!"

While the others were calming down, a quiet chuckle escaped the bed-ridden man. "Maybe you guys should heed her advice. I kind of feel like Natsu went Dragon Force mode on me."

Erza looked at him with concern. "But you just woke up," she protested.

"True, but an injured person tends to fall back to sleep afterwards," Jellal answered. One look at her forlorn face made him worry, as well as the silent looks the others were giving each other. "Erza, is everything okay?"

She paused for a moment, before deciding to tell him the truth. "Jellal, I don't know how else to say this, but you've been out for two days. The S-Class candidates leave for Tenrou Island in twelve."

His eyes widened as her words sank in. "What?"

Wally cleared his throat, nervous due to the healer's glare. "We gotta get goin', Jell. We'll come by sometime tomorrow, ya hear?"

"Um, all right, see you all then."

Once he was certain Erza was the only one left, he continued. "I guess I've been disqualified for now."

"Unfortunately, yes, though Master did say you should be a frontrunner for next year's trials. Just take the time to recover and train for it."

"I will."

-+FT+-

Jellal sat at one of the tables, his eyes closed in concentration. Wendy had managed to heal his injury faster, and he had been fitted with an ocular prosthesis a couple of days ago, as Porlyusica had prescribed. But that wasn't what was running through his mind at the moment.

He was struggling to think of who that guy Mest was. Instinct was telling him that something was off about the other mage, ever since the guy had been selected for the trials. But just as he closed in on the solution, he would blank again. It got worse after Mest asked Wendy to be his partner, something he chalked up to protective-older-brother syndrome. As calm as his exterior was, Jellal was getting frustrated. His thoughts were interrupted by two voices next to him.

"We need to go after them!"

"She'll be fine, Carla. Besides, if Mest is up to something, she can take care of herself," PantherLily answered the other Exceed, acting as the practical one between them.

"Well, forgive me for actually paying attention to one of my visions!" Carla huffed. That got Jellal's attention.

"A vision? Why didn't you say so to begin with?"

"What happens in your vision, Carla?" The two Exceeds jumped when they heard Jellal's question, having forgotten his presence. They could see his concern for his guild mates.

Shaking herself out of her surprise, Carla responded. "A dragon attacks the island—it is completely destroyed, and everyone with it!"

 _Wendy… Erza…_ It only took a second to make up his mind. "We're going," he stated. There was no room for argument in his commanding tone. "How long will it take to get there?"

Minutes later, with PantherLily carrying him in his humanoid form, the trio zoomed as fast as possible towards Tenrou Island. The closer they got to it, they could see a few ships, one of which belonged to Grimoire Heart; it was at the very shore of the island. But there were other vessels closing in on it, as well.

"Those look like ships from the Rune Knights," PantherLily observed.

That's when it clicked with Jellal.

"Those _are_ the Rune Knights—and Mest is one of them!"


	6. We Walk As Lions

The mind manipulation wizard was coming up behind his exam partner, ready to catch her unaware. But though she was enjoying the view, the young dragon slayer was proving herself to be anything but a fool, making it impossible to grab her from behind. Each time she felt Mest trying to sneak up on her, she'd turn to look at him, only to see him doing something that not even her other guild mates would be caught doing in their right mind. The whole scenario was seriously beginning to unnerve Wendy. The poor girl was never more glad to have been trained by Grandine to trust her instincts—

"Achoo!"

And her sneezes…

"Wow, that was a big one. Is someone talking about me?"

Steps were closing in behind her. Turning to look at him revealed that he seemed to be trying to eat nearby…rocks?

"I sher ish jush yer maj nashun (I'm sure it's just your imagination)," Mest said as he chewed.

Okay, now she was thoroughly creeped out. Cautiously, she looked back to shoreline, where she could see the outline of basecamp, where everyone would reassemble later. She really had a bad feeling about Mest now. A sudden shift in the wind, however, gave both of them enough warning to jump out of the way of the incoming star mage and Exceeds. Wendy's eyes widened as she took in PantherLily's large form and Carla's attempt to come between her and her supposed partner. But those weren't the only things that threw her.

Jellal's face and body were ready to come to blows with the boy in front of him.

"Stay away from her, Mest—or shall I call you Doranbolt?"

The other guy smirked at him. Clearly, he didn't feel threatened by his confronter, and had no intention of surrendering. "Tch—you barely missed. Is this part of the new S-class exam now? Weaseling your way in to it mid—say what?" His head finally cleared enough to recognize the way both of his aliases had been said.

"You can quit playing the fool," PantherLily snorted. "Jellal told us who you _really_ are!"

Carla sent a glare his way that made him go from just being "afraid" scared to "I may need a clean pair of pants" scared. "I have to thank you for your stupidity in allowing your fellow Rune Knights to follow you here—Jellal might not have remembered you otherwise." Sarcasm dripped from her voice like venom.

"What?" Wendy watched the interaction with confusion, then hurt.

"Basically, this guy has been blocking the memories of everyone at the guild, though I'm sure this year's exam takers are the primary targets," PantherLily answered. "But I have to wonder what his purpose is in doing this. And why isolate you in particular?"

Mest (or was it Doranbolt now?) snickered. "Figured me out, huh? Don't play dumb, cat. Everyone knows how close Wendy and Jellal are. We know how he helped her find a home after years of wandering, how she healed him before the fight with the Oracion Seis, how clueless she is about his past sins..."

"Sounds more like you're clueless as to what kind of girl Wendy really is," another voice snarled, closing in on the gaggle of mages.

"Gray? What are you doing back here? And where's Loke?" Wendy asked the newcomer.

"We had to split up to fight against Grimoire Heart," he explained. "Turns out one of the seven kin of Purgatory is also one of Loke's fellow Celestial Spirits, Capricorn. Once Lucy figured it out, he went all in. Man, I sure hope they'll be okay—Capricorn doesn't even look like he really wants to fight Loke or the other way around, so they must be holding back. Lucy's working with Natsu against the voodoo doll guy, and Juvia's going against someone else—I think her name's Medley? Melody? Maddy? Anyway, I'm on my way to take down someone named Ultear."

Jellal's breath hitched when he heard the woman's name. "Ul…tear…"

Gray faced him. "You know her?"

"Somewhat, I think. She…" His friend stopped for a moment, trying to word his thoughts carefully, as Doranbolt was still there. "She had been behind the R-System, trying to bring Zeref back, maybe her mother, as well. That's what I had heard, at least."

"Wait, her mother?"

"She said her name was Ul Milkovich."

"Bring…Ul…back? But that's insane!" The ice-welder exclaimed. "Her mom died to save me and Lyon from Deliora, and she was just going to undo that?!" Jellal was watching the edges of Gray's vision turn red with fury, and felt the temperature drop. "And if Ultear is her daughter, how is she alive? Ul died believing she had lost her!"

"Maybe you should ask Ultear that, then," Jellal stated.

"Fine, I will—" Gray began, rushing in the direction he could have sworn he saw the woman going, only to be stopped by a firm hand.

"I must warn you, Gray; she may be a powerful wizard, but she is also difficult to win over. Don't be surprised if she acquiesces too easily to your words, and never let your guard down when you fight her." There was compassion and anger in his face, no doubt based on experience with said woman.

Gray calmed down, having seen the look in his friend's eyes, and nodded. "Got it—thanks, man."

He released his friend, and turned back to the remaining mages present. Particularly the one who had been unable to catch Jellal admitting to his past.

"What'll you do, now that your friend has left to find your ex-girlfriend? Kill me?" The boy mocked. "Or the others?"

"No, I have a request for you, and it's imperative that you fulfill it."

This caught Doranbolt by surprise, as he was expecting Jellal to turn back to his old ways, in one way or another.

"Heh, like I have to listen to you—"

"It's a matter of life and death for the other Rune Knights—possibly my guild mates, as well."

Now he was listening. "So…"

"You need to clear your fellow knights away from shore as far away as possible while we deal with Grimoire Heart and the enemy who will follow. I have it on good word that a particular dragon will be arriving shortly afterwards to attack."

The other guy burst out laughing. "Wait, a dr-dragon? How—hahaha! How's that possible? They've been dead for hundreds of years! Ahahahahahah!"

Jellal kept silent for a while, until his laughter died down. "The dragon's name is Acnologia."

It was then that Doranbolt realized the severity of Jellal's words. And he froze. There was not a joke to be had here.

"Doranbolt…"

He looked up in fear.

"Get your friends out of here—this is the last place they, or you, should be right now."

"But Grimoire Heart!—"

"—Has been at war with Fairy Tail for a long time, but they've brought the battle to our sacred grounds. They will not win. Acnologia, however, is another story. We'll fight for as long as we can, and as hard as we can, but the last thing that you need is to lose Fiore's bravest warriors to protect our lives. You need to get them out of here."

Jellal's calm but firm words kept him silent, as Doranbolt stood to his feet. Whoever it was that he had just talked to and smarted off at, this clearly (in his mind) was not the psychotic man that had tried to destroy everything just over a year ago. With a nod in his direction, Doranbolt transferred himself from the overlook to the deck of one of the Rune Knights' vessels.

Once the boy was gone, Jellal turned towards the other three. He could already tell what was on Wendy's mind by the look on her face. "I'll see if they need help at basecamp. Wendy, I think the others will need you. Carla, PantherLily, cover her, okay?"

"We're on it," the two Exceeds said, before taking off in the same direction their young friend had.

Once out of sight, he fell to his knees, out of breath. He didn't know if the others could feel it yet, but he could. The magic was getting weaker. He had no doubt that if Erza was fighting her own battle, she would be able to feel it, as well. Jellal had to force himself towards where, unknown to him, some of his guild mates lay resting and injured. He continually had to lean against the nearest firm structures he could find, as he pressed on that direction. Looking up, he saw the Tenrou tree, snapped in half, and laying in the ocean. Something told him that was the source of his fatigue, and had he seen his friends, he would have no doubt his suspicion was correct. He could vaguely hear the familiar cries of a crimson-haired woman, as she fought as hard as she could against her own foe. He so desperately wanted to go and encourage her face to face, but he was extremely weak and next to powerless.

"Stay strong, Erza—don't lose…Take my strength…Win!"

With no more energy to move, Jellal collapsed, just at the edge of the campsite.

=+FT+=

She had just briefly closed her eyes, not quite as tired as her comrades, but in pain on seven different intensities, and barely able to move.

 _Stay strong, Erza—don't lose…_

They shot open. _It can't be! Jellal?_

 _Take my strength…_

The crimson knight sat up, muscles aching, but now unafraid to face her opponent. _Make no mistake—I know it was you, Jellal! No…not just you—my friends!_

The energy she lacked coursed through her veins again.

 _Win!_

 _For Jellal…for my team…for my guild…I…_

 _Have as good as won!_

"Grrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

=+FT+=

Just a brief author's note: The chapter title is inspired by the song "Lions" by Skillet. And with the statement about Wendy trusting her sneezes, it's kind of a gag in anime, that if you sneeze a certain amount of times, someone mentioned you in a discussion.


End file.
